Friday, August 18, 2006

Global Warming And Green

Why are environmental groups interested in promoting fear of global warming? Sure, it might all be well intentioned, public serving, kumbayah singing good guy stuff.

If rising ocean water doesn't flood the Brooklyn Bridge, I have a bridge to sell you.

Of course, as Michael Chreighton pointed out in State of Fear, environmental groups need a frightened populace to ensure their existance, and global warming is good for that, if properly sped up and hysterically hyped.

But wait, there's more! Global warming is good for fundraising. And not just because groups you global warming fear to get more people to join and pay dues. There's also this:

Environmental groups plan to file a lawsuit in Sacramento Superior Court today claiming that flood-control officials violated state law by allowing major levee modifications in San Joaquin County without considering the effect of global warming.

The groups, led by the Natural Resources Defense Council, assert that the sea level rise associated with climate change could eventually overtop those levees, putting thousands of people at risk.

The suit targets a permit approved June 26 by the state Reclamation Board that cleared the way for the River Islands project to build 224 luxury homes on top of a 300-foot-wide "superlevee" on Stewart Tract, an island in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Eventually, River Islands plans to build 11,000 homes on the island, which lies within the Lathrop city limits.

And where's the money in this? Can you say "settlement?" Can you say "court costs?" Obviously, any sane court would throw out this lawsuit, and it probably will be trashed before too long -- but not before the enviros negotiate some kind of settlement, dragging out the process long enough to generate some serious court costs.

Court costs are generally reimbursed at fixed rates of a certain amount per hour. The amount varies, with federal courts paying upwards of $300/hour. Of course, young green activist attorneys don't get paid anywhere near that for their efforts -- and guess what? It doesn't matter! The enviornmental groups simply pocket the difference.

"Thank you for the "Voice of the Victims films. The students really liked them, and it means so much to them to hear real stories and not watch a cheesy drama like so many other videos."
— High school teacher.